Foot steering bracket for outboard motors



Jan. 7, 1969 F. R. AMBROSH 3,420,203

FOOT STEERING BRACKET FOR OUTBOARD MOTORS Filed April 10, 1967 Sheet Of 2 Fig.4

nu m H I u Frederick R. Ambrash IN VENTOR.

F. R. AMBROSH 3,420,203

FOOT STEERING BRACKET FOR OUTBOARD MOTORS Jan. 7, 1969 Sheet Filed April 10, 1967 Fig.2

Frederick R. Ambrosh INVENTOR.

United States Patent 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A steering mechanism for an outboard motor including an upstanding leg assembly pivotally supported at its upper end to a forward portion of an outboard motor for rotation about a generally horizontally disposed axis extending transversely of the motor and with the upstanding leg means or assembly disposed within an associated boat and the lower end of the assembly terminating at its lower end portion in a foot engageable portion adapted to be engaged by one foot of an operator of the boat, the foot engageable portion being supported from the leg means or assembly for rotation about an axis generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the leg assembly relative to the outboard motor and the longitudinal center axis of the leg assembly and the leg assembly being adjustable in length between its pivot axis and the foot engageable portion.

The main object of this invention is to provide a foot steering bracket for an outboard motor adapted for attachment to an associated outboard motor and to be disposed within the boat to which the outboard motor is secured with the bracket being provided with foot engageable means whereby the operator of the boat may pivot the outboard motor to steer the boat by one of his feet.

Another object of this invention, in accordance with the immediately preceding object, is to provide a foot steering bracket including an upstanding leg portion pivotally secured at its upper end to the associated outboard motor for rotation about a horizontal axis extending transversely of the outboard motor and to whose lower end the foot engageable portion is secured for rotation about an axis mutually perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the bracket relative to the associated outboard motor and the longitudinal center axis of the upstanding portion of the steering bracket whereby the upstanding portion of the bracket may be swung to a horizontally disposed position and the foot engageable portion thereof may be held in one hand by the operator of the boat thereby also adapting the steering bracket to be operated by hand as well as by foot.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an outboard motor steering bracket in accordance with the preceding objects and including means by which the effective distance between the foot engageable portion thereof and the axis of rotation of the bracket relative to the associated outboard motor may be adjusted.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a steering bracket for an outboard motor which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free in operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter de scribed and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the aft portion of an outboard motor boat having an outboard motor operatively supported from the transom thereof and with the foot steering bracket of the instant invention operatively supported from the outboard motor and engaged by a foot of an operator of the boat;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing through the longitudinal section line of the boat and the foot steering bracket assemblage illustrated in FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 2 but on reduced scale and illustrating the outboard motor in a position with its lower unit portion pivoted rearwardly and upwardly illustrating the manner in which the foot steering bracket of the instant invention will allow the outboard motor to pivot rearwardly and upwardly at its lower end to clear an obstruction and also the manner in which the foot steering bracket may still be used even though the associated outboard motor has been tilted for operation in extremely shallow water;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken substantially on a plane indicated by the section line 4-4 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is an exploded perspective view of the foot steering bracket of the instant invention.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings the numeral 10 generally designates an outboard motor boat including opposite side wall portions 12, a bottom 14, and a transom 16.

An outboard motor referred to in general by the reference numeral 18 is supported from the transom 16 and includes a two section mounting clamp assembly referred to in general by the reference numeral 20. The mounting clamp assembly 20 includes a first section 22 pivotally supported from the outboard motor for rotation about an upstanding axis and a second section 24 pivotally supported from the first section for rotation about a horizontal axis. The second section 24 includes suitable clamping screws 26 whereby the second section 24 is removably clampingly supported from the transom 16.

The outboard motor 18 includes a horizontally disposed and generally U-shaped carrying handle referred to in general by the reference numeral 28 and including a pair of generally parallel leg portions 30 interconnected at one pair of corresponding ends by means of a bight portion 32 and secured to the outboard motor 18 at their free ends by means of suitable fasteners 34.

The foot steering bracket of the instant invention is referred to in general by the reference numeral 36 and includes a mounting portion generally referred to by the reference numeral 38.

The mounting portion 38 is generally L-shaped in configuration including an upper horizontally disposed plate portion 40 terminating at its forward end in a downturned generally vertically disposed plate portion 42. The horizontally disposed plate portion 40 has opposite side pairs of apertures 44 and 46 formed therethrough and a center aperture 48. Three J-bolts 50 are provided and include externally threaded shank portions 52 and lower end hook portions 54.

One pair of the I-bolts 50 may have their externally threaded shank portions 52 secured through either the apertures 44 or 46 by means of suitable wing nuts 56 and a third J -bolt may have its externally threaded shank portion 52 secured through the aperture 48 by means of a third wing nut 56. Of course, as may be seen from FIG- URES 1 and 2 of the drawings, the hooked portions 54 of the J-bolts 50 are hooked under the bight portion 32 and the adjacent ends of the legs 30 of the lifting handle 28. In this manner, the upper horizontal plate portion 42 of the mounting portion 38 may be fixedly secured to the carrying handle 28.

The lower marginal portion of the plate portion 42 has the upper end portion of a generally vertically disposed leg assembly referred to in general by the reference numeral 60 pivotally secured thereto by means of a hinge assembly 62 including a first hinge leaf 64 secured to the plate portion 42 and a second hinge leaf 66 secured to the upper end of the leg assembly 60.

The leg assembly 60 includes an upper elongated plate 68 to whose upper edge portion the hinge leaf 66 is Secured and a lower plate 70. The upper end of the lower plate 70 has a plurality of vertically spaced apertures 72 formed therein and the plate 68 has a plurality of vertically spaced apertures 74 formed therein, and an alternate pair of which apertures 74 are registrable with the apertures 72. Further, a pair of suitable fastener assemblies 76 are utilized to secure the lower plate 70 in overlapped engagement with the upper plate 68 according to the overall length of the leg assembly 60.

The lower end of the plate 70 has an opening 78 formed therethrough and the externally threaded shank portion 80 of a conventional bicycle pedal assembly referred to in general by the reference numeral 82 is secured through the opening 78 by means of a threaded nut 84.

The foot steering bracket of the instant invention is similar to but comprises an improvement over the foot steering control for Outboard Motors disclosed in US. Patent No. 3,288,099 dated Nov. 29, 1966, in that the pedal assembly 82 represents a rotatable foot engageable portion, that may be manually gasped when the bracket of the instant invention is positioned as illustrated in phantom lines to FIGURE 2 of the drawings, and also in that the leg assembly 60 is adjustable in length so as to readily conform to the vertical height of the handle 28 above the bottom 14. Further, the longitudinal adjustability of the leg assembly 60 enables the effective distance between the pedal assembly 82 and the hinge 62 to be adjusted when the leg assembly is positioned as illustrated in phantom lines in FIGURE 2 of the drawings. In this manner, the positioning of the pedal assembly 82, when used as a handgrip, may be adjusted in accordance to the distance of the operator of the boat from the vertical pivot axis of the outboard motor 18 relative to the first section 22 of the mounting clamp assembly 20.

In operation, the leg assembly 60 may be adjusted in length and utilized in the position illustrated in solid lines in FIGURE 2 of the drawings as previously hereinbefore described. The rotatable pedal assembly 82 enables the associated foot of the operator of the boat to be comfortably supported and the adjustable length of the leg assembly 60 enables the lower end of the leg assembly to be spaced a proper distance above the bottom 14 f the boat in order that the outboard motor 18 may pivot to the position thereof illustrated in FIGURE 3 of the drawings so as to clear a floating obstruction passing beneath the boat 10 or when operating in shallow water without the lower end of the leg assembly 60 contacting the upper surface of the bottom 14. Further, the adjustability of the effective length of the leg assembly 60 enables the distance between the pedal assembly 82 and the hinge 62 to be adjusted when the leg assembly 60 is positioned in the manner illustrated in phantom lines in FIGURE 2 of the drawings so as to properly longitudinally position the handgrip defining pedal assembly 82 longitudinally of the boat 10 in relation to an operator of the boat disposed on either a longitudinally extending seat of the boat or a transverse seat of the boat.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination with an outboard motor of the type including a two section mounting clamp assembly With one section pivoted to the outboard motor for rotation about an upstanding axis and the other section pivotally supported from said one section for rotation about a horizontal axis, said other section including means adapted to be supported from the transom of a boat, a foot steering bracket including a mounting portion secured to a forward portion of said outboard motor, a steering arm assembly including uptsanding leg means pivotally mounted at its upper end portion to said mounting portion for rotation about a generally horizontally disposed axis extending transversely of said motor and said leg means terminating at its lower end portion in a foot engageable portion adapted to be engaged by one foot of an operator of said boat and to swing through a horizontal plane about said upstanding axis with said motor, said leg means including means operative to adjust the effective length thereof from said horizontally disposed axis to said foot engageable portion, said mounting portion including an angulated mounting member including a generally horizontally disposed portion terminating at one edge portion in a depending upstanding portion, said forward portion of motor comprising a rearwardly opening horizontally disposed generally U-shaped carrying handle, the upper end portion of said leg means being pivotally secured to the lower edge portion of said upstanding portion and said horizontal portion overlying and being removably secured to said carrying handle of said outboard motor.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said horizontal portion comprises a plate-like member provided with a plurality of apertures upwardly through which the externally threaded upper end portions of the shank portions of a plurality of J-bolts are adjustably secured by means of threaded nuts, the lower ends of said J-bolts being hooked under adjacent portions of said carrying handle.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said means operative to adjust the effective length of said leg means comprises upper and lower leg sections having their lower and upper ends, respectively, overlapped and means operative to secure said lower and upper ends in adjusted overlapped relation.

4. The combinaiton of claim 3 wherein said foot engageable portion being oscillatably supported from said leg means for rotation about an axis generally mutually perpendicular to said horizontally disposed axis and the longitudinal central line of said leg means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,901,918 9/ 1959 Beamer 114144 3,157,063 11/1964 Mussell 74-512 3,288,099 1 1/ 1966 Bittner 114-153 ANDREW H. FARRELL, Primary Examiner. 

